When The Checks Stop Coming In: Did Mariah Carey Lose Her Jenny Craig Gig Because Jennifer Hudson Was Way More Poppington For Weight Watchers?

That damn J-Hud is always stealing the spotlight. Mariah Carey is getting to see how Beyoncé felt after the release of “Dreamgirls,” because now she’s been completely overshadowed by Jennifer Hudson — in weight loss ads!

After Leesa Eichberger took the chief marketing job for Jenny Craig a few months ago, she got a similar response from people when sharing the news: “Oh, I love Jennifer Hudson.”

There was one problem. Ms. Hudson stars for Weight Watchers, not Jenny Craig. For Ms. Eichberger, the confusion symbolized the problem plaguing weight-management advertising. “The category just has a sea of same,” she said, marked by celebrity-filled spots and before-and-after pictures.

That is why for its next campaign debuting Monday, Jenny Craig is ditching the celebs. No more Valerie Bertinelli, Mariah Carey or Jason Alexander, who have all appeared in Jenny ads in recent years. Rather, the Nestle-owned marketer is taking a simpler approach with animated ads that plug its portion-controlled food and one-on-one support.

“It’s a change for the category, to actually say what we do,” Ms. Eichberger said, rather than “go down that same clichéd path that is out there.”

Poor Mimi. First “American Idol,” now this.

Gotta admit, her and Jennifer’s ads are super similar, right down to the autograph!